Harley Street clinics have seen a surge in people having cosmetic surgery because working from home means they can avoid questions from colleagues, according to a leading practitioner.

One clinic saw a 22 per cent rise in patients in the last six months of 2021 as people took advantage of not going into the office during the pandemic.

As they do not have to see colleagues, more people are choosing procedures with longer recovery times, such as face and neck lifts, according to experts.

Dr Julian de Silva says: “The pandemic has certainly brought about a rise in demand for more invasive procedures.

“What put a lot of people off surgery prior to Covid was all the questions they would face when they returned to the office about the reasons for having the procedure. 

“They found the idea a bit too intimidating, but working from home has removed all that.”

According to Dr de Silva, who runs The Centre for Advanced Facial Cosmetic and Plastic Surgery, Harley Street saw its busiest year in a decade with a 15 per cent rise in cases after lockdown restrictions were eased last year.